Lesson Element
Unit 2: Working in business
LO4: Be able to prioritise business tasks
Prioritising business tasks
Instructions and answers for tutors
These instructions cover the learner activity section which can be found on page 4. This Lesson Element supports Cambridge Technicals Level 3 in Business.
When distributing the activity section to the learners either as a printed copy or as a Word file you will need to remove the tutor instructions section.
The activity
This Lesson Element explores the reasons for prioritising business tasks and allows learners to appreciate the factors that influence task prioritisation. It is divided into five tasks.
Suggested timing
1 hour
Version 1 1 © OCR 2016
Task 1
Ask learners to watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AePP-rQrp2c
Discuss and share. This first activity is designed to get learners thinking about their own lives and how they prioritise things – why do they do things in the order they do? This flows on to the next activity which is about how learners organise themselves. Tutors could share a typical week in their own lives and how they organise their time.
Task 2
Discuss and share. How do learners organise themselves? How do they make sure they remember everything they have to do – work, deadlines etc? Do they use a diary, phone, reminders, lists etc?
Tutors might like to share their own experiences and use this link as a way to share with learners some advice on how to be well organised:
http://timeman.com/time-management-tips/time-management-tips-for-students
Task 3
Ask learners to carry out the exercise explained in this link:
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/time_management.html
Having completed the activity, learners will find out that they are rated as one of the following:
1. a perfectionist
2. a slob
3. a doer
4. a time manager.
How does this ‘rating’ affect their ability to get things done?
This is a group and then an individual activity – it would probably be most useful for learners to try to find out what type of ‘organiser’ they are and how they can take steps to improve.
Task 4
Ask learners to watch this short video and download the free ‘to-do list’: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_05.htm
Ask learners to complete their own ‘to-do list’ for the next week.
It would be helpful for tutors to discuss how they keep themselves organised – what routines they have for prioritising work, making ‘to-do’ lists etc and to ask learners to share their own experiences from school, paid work etc.
Task 5
Ask learners to complete the sample ‘in-tray’ exercise: https://www.jobtestprep.co.uk/free-in-tray-exercise
This is a work-based in-tray exercise whereby learners get a maximum of 45 minutes to rate situations and suggest actions from a given list. It would be advisable for tutors to do it themselves before asking learners to carry it out. Learners will get an individual score and report after 45 minutes. There is a ‘normalised’ answer for each question – in pairs, learners could look at questions they got ‘wrong’ and why their answers were wrong. They could look at the suggested ‘correct’ answer and discuss why this answer is ‘better’ than the one they gave.
Version 1 3 © OCR 2016
Lesson Element
Unit 2: Working in business
LO4: Be able to prioritise business tasks
Learner Activity
Prioritising business tasks
This Lesson Element explores the reasons for prioritising business tasks and allows you to appreciate the factors that influence task prioritisation. It is divided into five tasks.
Task 1
Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AePP-rQrp2c
Discuss and share. Think of your routine once you finish school/college each day. What do you do in terms of changing out of uniform, homework, paid work, jobs around the house, social life etc? What order do you do things in and why? Draw yourself a flow diagram and discuss your routine with a partner. The key learning point is what makes you do things in a particular order.
Task 2
Now consider how you organise yourself. How do you make sure you remember everything you have to do – work, deadlines etc? Do you use a diary, phone, reminders, lists etc? Again have a discussion with your partner.
Task 3
Carry out the exercise explained in this link: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/time_management.html
Are you a perfectionist, a doer, a time manager or are you just a little bit lazy?
Having completed the activity you will find out that you are rated as either:
1. a perfectionist
2. a slob
3. a doer
4. a time manager.
How does your ‘rating’ affect your ability to get things done?
Task 4
Watch this short video: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_05.htm
Download the free ‘to-do list’ – does this help you? Try to complete your own ‘to-do list’ for the next week.
Your tutor will give you some practical examples of how to be organised – making ‘to-do’ lists etc – and you will be able to think of practical examples from your own life and employment/work experience.
Task 5
Complete this sample ‘in-tray’ exercise: https://www.jobtestprep.co.uk/free-in-tray-exercise
You will get an individual score and report after 45 minutes. There is a ‘normalised’ answer for each question. In pairs, look at questions you got ‘wrong’ and discuss why your answers were wrong. Look at the suggested ‘correct’ answer and discuss why this answer is ‘better’ than yours.
You might like to discuss the following advice for being a well-organised student:
http://timeman.com/time-management-tips/time-management-tips-for-students
These websites give further tips about how to prioritise:
http://www.wikihow.com/Prioritize
http://www.icaew.com/en/archive/library/subject-gateways/business-management/strategy-and-planning/small-business-update/10-ways-to-prioritise-your-workload
https://www.assessmentday.co.uk/in-tray-exercise.htm
Version 1 3 © OCR 2016